I wanted to update folks with the most recent info re: Sauratown. There have been continued discussions within the land owner/mgr body re: damage from the fire, where to go next, continued day use access and increased liability issues.

At this time, Sauratown is still closed to day use of any sort, despite the end of the daycamper season.

There are further talks going on, but folks-I need your help complying with this if we want to demonstrate our ability to honor the land owner's wishes. Please do NOT go to Sauratown to climb or hike at this time.

I am hopeful that a positive resolution will result with our full cooperation

Season started today, but the access is still closed. Local climbing advocates are working with the landowner and hope to resolve things soon, but doing so is a precarious balancing act. Please continue to not climb at Sauratown. Thank you!!!

I am currently working on a flyer regarding the closure to be distributed to every gym and anywhere else that will grab attention. Thank you very much for observing the closure and keeping the word out that it is closed. Being a local I want this place open as much as anyone, but until we get this worked out we MUST respect the requests of the director for now. This isn't directed at anyone in particular, but I have been hearing of small groups of people who are still going up there. Some even know of the closure but were overheard in the gym saying "it's only a few of us, so what?" That is exactly what we don't need and these people are going to get us kicked out indefinitely. If you hear anyone talking in this manner, speak up! Let them know how selfish they are and that you won't tolerate them ruining access for everyone. We have been doing a great job staying away so far with the exception of a small few, but this small group projects the sense that climbers as a whole are disrespectful in the eyes of the management there. As soon as the go ahead is given, we will post on all of the popular sites but until then it is CLOSED. For more up to date information on this area and others in NC, please visit http://www.carolinaclimbers.org

There is no guide for Sauratown. That was part of the deal for our being able to climb there.

Sauratown is very, very closed right now. Please DO NOT go there to climb. Folks are working really hard to negotiate climbing access. There are a few people trespassing and this is permanently compromising all efforts to reopen the place to climbing.

Check out the CCC site. There is a thread and a contact for questions under the Access thread.

Maybe if the holier than thou CCC didn't continue it's de facto publishing of the Sauratown climbing for any Tom, Dick, or Harry on the internet we wouldn't have access issues of this kind? Maybe posting information about what should remain an unpublished location is a mistake?

And what exactly is it you are referring to? Maybe if you have some suggestions about the way the CCC conducts business you should post your comments at www.carolinaclimbers.org, I'm sure someone will be happy to discuss your concerns. But I'm sure you probably won't so please enlighten me with a reply here, because the CCC has done nothing more than inform people on the status of this area and work tirelessly on trying to gain legit access since the fire. That in no way equates to "de facto publishing." I know of no actual information on how to reach this area except for that on this site, and last I checked the CCC does not administer this site nor does it have a member publishing information on its behalf. It seems to me you are misled.

Perhaps the real issue is that since it's an historically unpublished area, the people who do know about didn't find it on teh interwebs, and many of them couldn't give a rats ass about rc.com or the ccc site. No amount of talking about the closure in these places is going to keep them from going. Apparently I had a group of friends who went down maybe 2 weeks ago, not knowing about the ban.

Since I'm not around there anymore, I don't know if the owner has done so, but the only thing that will keep people from climbing there is a sign that says Posted, No Climbing.

That suggestion came up in the infancy of this ordeal, and unfortunately we aren't allowed to put up any signage. It makes perfect sense to put up a notice because some parties really don't know, but for whatever reason we were told no. All we can do is try and reach as many as possible through the methods we have available to us.